Starting With Real Madrid

Porto's status as one of the eight seeded teams in the Champions League, and Fernando's role as their starting defensive midfielder, is a clear testament to their strength—especially in tense situations on the pitch.

When Fernando saw that Modric wasn't passing the ball but instead turned to dribble, he reacted immediately. He reached out from behind to pull at him, while using his full body to press forward, attempting to steal the ball.

Unexpectedly, Modric reacted quickly. He suddenly stopped, shielded the ball again, and pulled it back.

This finally gave Fernando a chance for close-quarters defense, which was his specialty.

Given Modric's slight build and thin legs, if Fernando caught him, wouldn't he have to surrender?

The Brazilian center-back immediately stepped up to help.

Modric indeed wasn't physically strong, but his ball retention under defensive pressure was top-class. In fact, this was one of his biggest strengths.

Even with Fernando sticking tightly to him, the Croatian midfielder remained calm. Despite being jostled, he kept his balance, controlled the ball steadily, and quickly played it back to Ramos on the back line.

Ramos avoided Jackson Martínez and passed the ball to the unmarked Xabi Alonso.

The Spanish midfielder trapped the ball, glanced upfield, and delivered a direct pass.

In the attacking third, behind the referee, Benzema dropped back and raised his hand to ask for the ball.

But Porto's center-back Otamendi followed closely behind, pressing from the rear.

Xabi Alonso's passes were always perfectly timed. This one landed on Benzema's right side—the side facing away from goal—positioned closer to Ronaldo.

The French striker quickly caught Alonso's intent. He calmly stopped the ball with his right foot, turned swiftly, and inserted himself between Otamendi and the ball. Not only did he shield it well, he also carried it diagonally into the left side of the penalty area.

"Nice stop and turn!"

"A brilliant through pass by Xabi Alonso, and Benzema controlled it beautifully!"

"Let's watch Real Madrid's attack unfold."

As Benzema held off Otamendi and carried the ball left, the game shifted dramatically.

Now, Real Madrid was attacking Porto's defense head-on. Between Benzema and Ronaldo, there was only one defender—right-back Danilo, who had been tracking Ronaldo but had rushed up to close down Benzema the moment he turned.

But Benzema had been waiting for him. He slipped a pass straight behind Danilo, leading the ball into the left side of the box.

Ronaldo made a lightning-quick diagonal run into the area, latched onto Benzema's through ball, and with goalkeeper Helton charging out, calmly slotted the ball into Porto's goal with his left foot.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!"

"In the 44th minute, Real Madrid finally break the deadlock against Porto!"

"A crucial strike by Cristiano Ronaldo!"

"1-0!"

"This goal is vital for Real Madrid!"

After Ronaldo found the net, the entire Real Madrid squad rushed over to celebrate with him.

The Bernabéu erupted in a frenzy.

…

Vilanova didn't know why, but looking at Real Madrid on the pitch at that moment, he felt a sense of déjà vu.

Just now, Real Madrid relied on their strength in passing and ball control to continuously stretch Porto's defensive shape—it looked strikingly similar to Barcelona's style.

Many believed Guardiola learned this from Gao Shen, who had implemented it even earlier.

But regardless of who originated it, that kind of football was quintessential Barcelona.

Yet, watching it now being used by Real Madrid didn't feel out of place at all.

"Fernando was too reckless. This was definitely something Gao Shen prepared for in advance," Lula remarked, as if he could see straight through the tactical setup.

Because Barcelona often used this very method—and it worked every time.

In fact, Barcelona was never afraid of opponents who pressed aggressively for the ball. They feared teams who stuck firmly to their positions.

When every player held their line, their defense resembled a solid wall. No matter how you tried to pass, you couldn't break through it. You could only try to chip away at it through brute force.

That kind of breakthrough required players with elite individual ability.

But no matter how strong your individual ability was, it always carried risk.

Take Messi, for example. What's his success rate when trying to dribble past defenders?

Roughly fifty percent.

Past and present—it's always been around fifty-fifty.

That's too risky for a team like Barcelona. So, they avoided it when possible.

Real Madrid's play just now pulled Fernando out of position and passed the ball behind him. That was a classic Barcelona tactic.

"Do you think he's planning to try and win the ball from us?" Vilanova asked, frowning.

Lula shook his head but hesitated to give a definitive answer.

Based on Real Madrid's performances this season, it was clear that Gao Shen emphasized ball possession.

So far, in every match, Real Madrid's possession numbers were high, and their cohesion was improving rapidly. Just like in the last round against Deportivo La Coruña—even though their opponent's defense was poor—Real Madrid's attacking rhythm and passing were smooth. That was an undeniable fact. Otherwise, how could they have scored so many goals?

But does that mean Real Madrid intends to fight Barcelona for ball control?

"It's hard to say. Gao Shen has always been unpredictable in his tactics. Especially in recent matches, Real Madrid's passing, possession, and attacking play have all been outstanding," Lula replied cautiously.

Before becoming Vilanova's assistant, Lula had never even been on the Champions League touchline—let alone faced top-tier coaches like Gao Shen.

Vilanova had sat on the bench in Champions League games, but as an assistant.

There's a world of difference between being an assistant and a head coach.

…

Real Madrid entered halftime with a 1-0 lead.

In the locker room, Gao Shen specifically praised the players' performances—especially Modric.

From that goal alone, Modric was the most crucial piece. He opened up the space that pulled Fernando out of position. If the Brazilian midfielder hadn't stepped forward, Benzema would've been caught in a pincer from both sides when dropping back.

Porto's defense wouldn't have had such a big gap.

But with the opening goal, the second half became much more manageable.

Gao Shen instructed the players to drop back slightly in the second half and allow Porto to press forward again.

"Remember, we're up 1-0. We hold the advantage. Stay patient, don't force it."

And his judgment proved spot-on.

After the restart, Real Madrid played more patiently. Their passing and ball retention shifted further back.

At first, Porto remained composed. But gradually, they began to lose patience.

Especially after the 60th minute, Victor Pereira urged the team to push forward and brought on Christian Atsu for Varela to bolster their attack.

But just three minutes after the substitution, Real Madrid's midfield completed a successful steal.

Toni Kroos dispossessed Gonzalez, drove the ball forward, drew Fernando out to challenge him, then passed it forward. Benzema dropped deep to receive and laid it off to Modric.

The Croatian midfielder surged forward, reaching the edge of Porto's box. Faced with center-back Maicon, he passed the ball right. Higuaín trapped the ball, dribbled into the right side of the penalty area, and rifled a low shot into the net.

2-0!

The Bernabéu exploded once again.

On the touchline, Gao Shen clenched his fists in excitement.

After losing 0-1 away to Dortmund in the first match, Real Madrid's situation had been tough.

But in this match, the team withstood the pressure and executed the coaching staff's tactics to perfection.

Both goals came from nearly identical patterns.

Although Gao Shen wasn't paying close attention to the other match happening simultaneously—Manchester City hosting Dortmund—he guessed that City likely beat Dortmund.

If not, Pellegrini would probably be out of a job.

Which meant the entire Group of Death had descended into chaos.

Real Madrid, Manchester City, Porto, and Dortmund all sat on one win and one loss.

Now this is what a Death Group should look like.

But the real test was only just beginning.

…

After conceding two goals, Porto finally snapped out of their daze.

Victor Pereira and his players realized that their surprise win over Manchester City in the first round was more due to the Blues' poor away form—not their own brilliance.

At the Bernabéu, their tactics and approach had clearly been too arrogant.

Still, Porto weren't willing to accept defeat so easily after going 0-2 down.

In the 73rd minute, Real Madrid seized another opportunity.

A set piece on the right side of the attacking third.

Modric and Higuaín combined, drawing a foul from Porto. Both Xabi Alonso and Toni Kroos stood over the free kick.

Either could take it.

Inside the penalty area, Pepe, Ramos, Ronaldo, Benzema, and Higuaín were all ready.

Xabi Alonso feinted, and Toni Kroos stepped up, curling a pinpoint ball toward the near post.

Pepe and Ramos drew defenders' attention. Taking advantage of this, Ronaldo lost his marker, made a diagonal run, leapt into the air, and powered a header into the net.

3-0!

The Portuguese forward was in blistering form, scoring consistently—hat tricks, braces, he had them all.

Whether it was Real Madrid, the media, fans, or opponents, everyone was awestruck by Ronaldo's incredible scoring streak this season.

And they all agreed—he would be a key figure in the upcoming El Clásico this weekend.

Gao Shen promptly substituted Ronaldo and made a series of changes to preserve energy for the match of the century.

Porto took advantage of the reshuffling and, before the final whistle, exploited a defensive lapse by Real Madrid. James Rodríguez fired a long-range effort from outside the box and pulled one back.

The Colombian midfielder scored in back-to-back group stage matches and performed admirably.

(To be continued.)

***

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